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Someone has to say it: Voice assistants are not doing it for big tech

Anonymous Coward
Anonymous Coward

I'm the blind person who posted further up thread. To answer your question, it depends who is using the device. For the more knowledgeable, the buttons can all be the same shape with no markings and we'll remember what they do with ease. Similarly, we can use other interfaces such as touchscreens as long as there exists an accessibility system interpreting the touches (both Android and IOS have a screenreader that does this, for example). Most interfaces that are already built for the sighted can work for the blind with little modification.

This is all from my perspective--the perspective of a person who's been blind all my life. Another large subset are those who lost their sight late in life and, in addition to having less familiarity with tech in general, are also adapting to the loss of a sense they relied on a lot. These people often need a more simplified system, because they're not used to the workarounds I do routinely. For example, I have memorized the orientation of dials on appliances (pointing down on my washer's temperature dial is hot water, for instance) and I put some labels on my microwave's flat controls so I can find the buttons there, but not everyone's used to doing that whenever they obtain an appliance. Such people do often prefer systems with more simplified controls that are easily identified by feel and don't have multiple functions. Some of them will eventually learn to use other methods, while some who are already elderly or have additional physical or mental disabilities may never become comfortable and some may like to stick with them just for convenience. Depending on the purpose of the device, there are reasons to prefer either option.

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